Tuesday, December 13, 2011

I would like to introduce a fascinating and talented author to you - Gary Val Tenuta and welcome him here to do a guest post. He has a brand new release out, Ash: Return of the Beast, which is a riveting occult crime thriller (& it's only $3.99 on kindle!). I encourage you all to have a read about Gary's new novel and his writing inspiration for this story below, and to check out his books! He is also the author of another excellent novel, The Ezekiel Code. Both are reading time well spent!

Welcome Gary and thanks for sharing with us!

Afraid Of The Dark

One of the interesting things about writing a novel is that the process often requires the writer to reach down inside in order to access the storehouse of thoughts, feelings and life experiences that he’s accumulated over the years so he can apply some of it to the story and make the words on the page reflect some semblance of “reality”. I guess that’s a long-winded way of repeating the old adage, ‘Write what you know’. But what if you have a story idea that requires you to write what you don’t know or, worse yet, to write what you’re uncomfortable with?

If you’re going to write what you don’t know, there’s always the option to do the research necessary to familiarize yourself with a formerly unfamiliar topic. Writing what you’re uncomfortable with is something else again. That’s what I had to wrestle with when it came to writing my second novel, Ash: Return Of The Beast (www.ashreturnofthebeast.webs.com).

I remember when the idea for the story first hit me about three years ago. I was browsing the shelves at a used-book store and came across a biography of the infamous occultist, Aleister Crowley (1875-1947). Due to my life-long fascination with all things paranormal, I was at least somewhat familiar with Crowley. I knew he was considered a master of ritual magic or what some call the Dark Arts. I knew his picture appeared on the cover of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper album and I knew that several musicians of the hard rock variety were into him. I knew he’d been branded by the British press as ‘The Wickedest Man In The World’ and I knew Musolini had kicked him out of Italy. I even had a copy of a strange little book entitled The Book Of The Law that was allegedly dictated to Crowley by a nonhuman entity near the Great Pyramid in 1904. What I didn’t know, until I read that biography, was that his body was cremated and that the urn containing his ashes had mysteriously vanished. Wait. What??? I had to flip the page back and read it again to make sure I’d read it correctly. Wow, I thought. If that isn’t the foundation for good mystery novel, I don’t know what is.

At first I was super motivated and eager to start writing. But as I continued to sketch out a story I soon began to realize this was not going to be the same sort of creative experience that I’d had with my first novel, The Ezekiel Code (www.ezekielcode.com). Sure Code contained its share of bad guys sneaking around in the shadows, a couple of murders and some foul play. But it was all pretty much standard fare for an adventure/mystery novel. Ash, I could see, was going to be darker. Much darker. Darker than maybe I was prepared to go. Could I dredge up something that disturbing from the depths of my own storehouse of life experiences? I don’t want to spoil the story for you here, so I won’t disclose any details. I’ll just say, after I thought about it, I realized I didn’t have anything quite that disturbing in my life experience. So how was I going to bring any sense of reality to it?

Clearly, I was going to have to do some research and learn how real people have endured such experiences, how it affected them emotionally and psychologically and what effect it had on their lives after the experience. So, I did the research to familiarize myself with those issues to the point where I felt comfortable enough to incorporate it into the story. But feeling comfortable enough with it and actually writing it were two different things. I found out I was afraid of the Dark, the Dark within. I told my best friend that I felt like I had to go wash my hands or take a complete shower after writing the first incident of one specific heinous activity.

However, I believed the story was too good to abandon and I knew if I just let it go it would haunt me for the rest of my days. So I carried on even though my own sensibilities were rebelling against me. Much to my surprise, I actually got used to it. In fact, I got to the point where I enjoyed it. I was no longer afraid of the Dark. So, how did that happen? Pretty simple, really.

Once I got far enough into the development of the story, the characters ceased to be mere concepts in my head. They began to take shape, physically, emotionally and psychologically. They became real people involved in real situations. It wasn’t me who was doing those awful things to the characters. The characters were doing those things to each other. That’s when, as a writer, you’re “in the Zone”. I love being in the Zone. There are no boundaries, no limitations in the Zone. It’s the place where the writer experiences the freedom to let the story evolve as it will and any intimidating sensibilities that might otherwise get in the way... well, they’re just out of luck. The story must go on.

And so it did. Now, three years after the initial idea hit me, Ash: Return Of The Beast is finished and available on Kindle for just $3.99. I hope to have a paperback edition available by the end of January, 2012.

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Description of the book:

Ash: Return of the Beast is an occult mystery-crime-thriller based on a little known factoid about the death of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), the occultist the British press once called "The Wickedest Man In The World".

Crowley’s body was cremated and the whereabouts of his ashes has remained a mystery… until now.

This diabolical tale carries the reader through a series of the most curious (and sometimes unsettling) events spanning the years from Crowley's death in 1947 to the 1990s and the coming of age (and eventual stardom) of a death-metal rocker named Rodney Duckworth.

The time-line shifts to the present day where Brian Kane, a gruff and gritty, street-worn Seattle Police Detective, reluctantly teams up with the mysterious Rowena Ravenwood, an attractive female FBI agent. Their task is to figure out why good, healthy, God-fearing preachers in their fair city are suddenly dropping like flies.

What are those strange symbols branded onto the bodies of these hapless victims? Are they all part of some bizarre cult? Is it really murder? Where’s the evidence? And what is the disturbing secret that Detective Kane is holding so close to his chest?

The investigation eventually catapults Kane and Ravenwood into life-threatening situations as they wind their way through the strange, dark labyrinth of the world of the Occult and ritual magick.

Problem is, the clues to help solve the case are in terribly short supply. Worse yet, so is the amount of time left to stop the mysterious killer's reign of terror before all Hell breaks loose. And, in this case – according to Special Agent Ravenwood - that’s not just a figure of speech.

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If you’d like to watch a dramatic and entertaining book trailer for Ash: Return Of The Beast, just drop by my website at:

Saturday, October 22, 2011

I thought I would share one of my latest guest blog posts with you. It's my hope that it will help my fellow scribes find even greater success with their online marketing for their books. I was honored to be contacted by Freya at BookBuzzr and asked to share something helpful with their audience.

Monday, August 8, 2011

I was honored to be asked to be a guest blogger on Printsasia. Since we are finishing the sequel to Secret of the Sands, entitled Destiny of the Sands, I thought blogging about sequels was a timely topic :)

Saturday, August 6, 2011

It's my honor to share a guest blog post with you, by author Darren Pillsbury. He's written the series PETER AND THE VAMPIRES, PETER AND THE WEREWOLVES and PETER AND THE FRANKENSTEIN. They sound like lively reads!

Have a read & get to know a new author :)

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Thank you, Rai, for letting me do a guest post on your blog!

One of the questions I hear a lot of readers asking writers is “Where do you get your inspiration?” I thought I would answer that specifically about the ebooks I’ve just published, PETER AND THE VAMPIRES, PETER AND THE WEREWOLVES, and PETER AND THE FRANKENSTEIN.

I’ve always liked scary stories. I remember sneaking into the grocery store as a kid and reading the Stephen King books in the book aisle. (My mom was very conservative, and there was no way she was going to let me read CUJO or SKELETON CREW. So I did it while she was picking out tomatoes and peanut butter a couple of aisles over.)

So, when I decided I wanted to be an author, I always told myself that I would write my ‘vampire’ story. And my ‘werewolves’ story. And my ‘swamp monster’ story. And my ‘evil freak show’ story.

The problem was, a writer expends a lot of pages setting up the characters and situations every time he writes a new novella. If I wanted to write a dozen stories, that would be a dozen different main characters, a dozen different supporting casts, a dozen different settings. Ugh.

Why couldn’t it be simple? On THE X-FILES, you jumped into a new episode every week knowing who Mulder and Scully are. Why couldn’t you –

Heeeeyyyy.

Problem solved. I would do something in a series, with the same characters, and with character arcs and larger plots that unfolded over hundreds of pages and through different books.

In actuality, the books really do resemble television shows in that each ‘novel’ has four or five different ‘episodes,’ or shorter novellas within it. And basically each story picks up where the last one ended.

What about the hero? Who was he? How old?

If I was going to do a series of supernatural stories, I wanted to do something about a time when everything seemed possible…and maybe even magical. I decided on a younger protagonist. Probably out of nostalgia, partly because the last time I remember feeling that the world might truly be magical (supernaturally magical, that is) was when I was very, very young.

But…it’s quite a different thing to say, “I’m going to write a vampire story,” and then write it. What do you do with it?

Is the vampire loathsome or gorgeous (and sparking, according to TWILIGHT)? Evil or misunderstood? Sociopathic or tortured by a conscience? The hero or the villain?

I don’t really start there, to be honest. I start with an image. In the case of the story “Peter And The Vampires” (the second story in the novel PETER AND THE VAMPIRES), the image was of a little girl in a rainstorm, standing under the ten-year-old hero’s third-story window, calling out “Peeeeeeeteeeeeeeeer” in a soft and mournful voice. When the lightning flashes, she is standing there in the rain; seconds later, when another burst comes, she’s gone.

I think – though I’m not absolutely sure – that the image comes from “The Dead,” the short story by James Joyce, in which the main character’s wife tells him how the love of her life stood out in a rainstorm and called up to her window.

(To be clear, I do not compare anything I have ever written to be in the same league, or even the same sport, as Joyce. If “The Dead” is the filet mignon and lobster tails of literature, then mine is a McDonald’s Happy Meal. But, hey, at least with mine, you get a bright, shiny toy.)

I had a lot of thoughts about that scene when I read the story in college. One that stuck with me was, “If she didn’t want that guy to be there, that could be a really creepy moment.”

BAM. That was the jumping-off point, though it took years to actually sit down and write a story about it.

For my other stories in the series, I always ask myself, What’s creepy? (And not in a gory way. Though there is gore in some of my stories, I try to keep it to a minimum.)

For years as a child, I vacationed at a lake house my grandparents owned. I always thought of sitting on a dock, legs dangling down into the water…and some unseen horror reaching up and dragging me down to the depths.

Bingo. There’s my opening for “Peter And The Swamp Monster,” the fourth story in PETER AND THE VAMPIRES.

One of the creepiest things I can imagine is looking out from a window, and someone dressed all in black – whose face you can’t see – is staring up at your window. Then they slowly lift their arm and point, as though to say, I see you.

Voila. “Peter And The Dead Men.”

As a kid, I saw a Spiderman cartoon that freaked me out. In it, a bunch of mannequins came to life and attacked poor Spidey. For years, I never, ever took my eyes off the mannequins when I entered a Macy’s.

“Peter And The Mannequins,” first story in the book PETER AND THE WEREWOLVES.

So there you have it. Most of my stories start from an initial scene in my head: some bad memory, some dark fantasy, some imagined scenario (often from my childhood) that can form the cornerstone of a story.

If you’re interested in checking out my books, please visit the links below!

Sorry I've been away from the blog for awhile, life's been pretty busy. However, I still make time to read & then share worthy tomes with you :)

Here's a recent read, it's a literary novel, historical fiction, based on the life of Stephen Biko. Here is a story description:

The Story of One Man’s Journey to Hell and Redemption

Hell does have a name… Robben Island.

This story, though fictional, is inspired by, and honors, the life - and death - of Stephen Biko.

It is the 1970s and 80s in South Africa. Some cruelly and sadistically wielded power meant to scourge. Some broke under its weight, while some remained unbent, immovable under it, resolute of spirit, and ultimately, triumphantly, indomitable.

This is the story of such a man. A character study of an unconquerable heart, an unyielding spirit.

This is not a story for the feint of heart or stomach. It is a story, not meant to shock, but to shine the unapologetic, unflattering light of truth on a situation that was, and is very real.

Told through one man’s journey, it will lay bare any and all realities of a world that for some was inescapable. The pain is real. The horrors are real. Ignoring them won’t change a thing though understanding them just might.

Here is my review:

5-stars

Outstanding, Powerful, Moving

This was a powerful story, incredibly well-told, that has stayed with me. I don't think I will ever forget it, it has been burned into my memory. Many people know the facts (or some of them at least) of the terrible apartheid regime that ruled over South Africa with utter brutality, but stories like this one can make it much more 'real' for those of us who were not there and did not see or experience it firsthand.

This story was told by someone who obviously cares about the subject matter and who has great love for his country and those who suffered there. It is a tough read in that it is incomprehensible the ignorance, hate and cruelty that have existed (and in places continues to exist, sadly). You feel like you are there with the main character, your heart aches for him, your spirit cries out - stop! You will wish you could jump into the pages of the book, or of history and save these people from those who make them suffer so much pain - physically, mentally, emotionally. Once you put the book down, try to reflect, and take a deep breath to recover from the punch this book packs, an inescapable reminder comes forth, that though this story is fictional, the truth behind it is not. You will wish it was.

However, if because of stories like this, we can have a better understanding of these terrible evils, perhaps we will be more sensitive and more easily moved to fight for positive change in this world. It is also a reminder of the power of an individual to be a lightning rod for change and how we can never, ever give up hope for a world ruled by peace, love, tolerance and mutual understanding and appreciation.

This was truly one of the most powerful, memorable, worthwhile and moving novels I have read...

Monday, May 23, 2011

As you know I enjoy passing the word along about books that really stand out for me, so here is another book I loved & wanted to share a review for. This follows the last review I did for the hard-boiled detective short story, Money Ain't Nothing, by Jason Blacker. The book I am reviewing today is the first full-length novel in this mystery series. It stars retired LAPD detective, Anthony Carrick. I absolutely love this character and these detective stories are so much fun to read, so well-written. I definitely encourage you to check it out. This novel is also a bargain at only $2.99!

Anthony Carrick is a retired police detective, whose career didn't exactly end with fanfare and commendations, presumably due to a persistent difficulty in following the rules. He's a bit rough, real sarcastic, with a gruff charm. He comes by his attitude through his beat-you-up kind of life experience, and wears his rumples well. He nows works the odd private investigation gig to make ends meet, while he lives a bachelor's life with his one-eyed alley-cat, Pirate. He's intimately familiar with the seedy side of life, and thus sees most things with a jaded eye. In his world, endings are rarely happy, and nice, neat bows don't exist.

In First Feature, a movie producer gets killed with his own Oscar - what a great premise for a story, total Hollywood! There's an eclectic cast of characters in this whodunnit and the reader is treated to many difference slices of life on both sides of the Hollywood dream. Anthony gets caught up in the dark side of Hollywood - the consequences of excess, of losing one's morality, of betrayal and chasing the illusion. Fame, fortune, life, death. A day in the life of La-La land. Hollywood's golden glow is tarnished, leaving a trail of broken dreams in its wake. The story teems with grittiness, authenticity, and rich, colorful detail as Anthony digs deep to catch a murderer. Par for the course for a world based on false fronts, half-truths, and obsessive self-involvement and motivation, he needs to work hard to uncover what's really going on. Many of the players have their own secrets to protect, and he needs to figure out which ones point to murder.

Though Anthony Carrick rubs most people in the story the wrong way, he rubs the reader the right way - he's a believable, down on his luck soul, trying to make something out of the shambles of his life. He wants redemption, maybe even forgiveness for a lot of things in his life. He's still got his smarts, a knack for seeing beneath the surface, and his instincts are as sharp as ever. He navigates life with his own patchwork morality and is armed with a wry sense of humor. He's exactly who you'd want on your side, should you ever be so unfortunate as to need his services.

First Feature is a lively tale, that will keep you turning pages so fast, you'll want to read it in one sitting. Anthony Carrick is the next star of completely addictive detective stories. You'll love this guy, in no time at all he will charm you, and like me, you'll look very forward to spending many more hours with him and solving murder mysteries. Total fun. Pure entertainment. Very well-written. Prepare to be hooked!

-Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

Here is the link to the kindle edition on Amazon (it's also coming out soon in paperback):

Saturday, May 21, 2011

I hope you are all having a good weekend! I thought I would share my latest review with all of you. This one is for a hard-boiled detective short story, Money Ain't Nothing, by author Jason Blacker. This story is the first in a mystery series of novel, starring retired LAPD detective, Anthony Carrick, and will be followed shortly by the novel First Feature. I'm completely hooked, so I wanted to pass the word on about another great read. And it's only $0.99!

Anthony Carrick, the self-described 'alley cat', is a character you will love. He's a rough around the edges, hard knocks kind of guy - a former police detective, that now finds himself eking out a living doing private investigations for people who are having a run of bad luck.

In Money Ain't Nothing, he's hired by a wealthy woman to investigate the suspicious death of her son. She suspects murder, but the authorities don't agree, so she turns to Anthony Carrick. His methods are far from by the book, and in his world, fairy tale endings don't exist, but the big, bad wolf always does.

Readers of hard-boiled detective fiction will find a colorful new character, who is more comfortable navigating the seedy side of life, to get their mystery-solving fix from. Anthony Carrick's beaten up charm is undeniable, his jaded 'seen it all' take on the world makes for a lively read.

Money Ain't Nothing is an entertaining short story that will have you completely hooked on this character, gruff charm and all. Also highly recommended: First Feature - the first novel in the Anthony Carrick detectives series. Count me in for more, lots, lots more!

-Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

You can also find the story in multiple other e-Book formats on Smashwords, also only $0.99!:

I thought I would spiffy up my Twitter page, and what better way to do that than with the magnificent Great Sphinx of Giza! It's a gorgeous image of the Sphinx & pyramids lit up at night, quite breathtaking - check out the before and after pix (as seen with the original Twitter layout, which shows more of the background image):

Monday, April 25, 2011

We get a lot of questions about how the story of Secret of the Sands came to be, it's been really, really cool to see how interested people are in its creation, how fascinated they are by the story, and the meaning behind it. It's come up so often, that I thought I would share more about it. It's probably a lot longer journey than most people realize. Although we've been asked about it numerous times in interviews and fan letters, I've never talked about the story's creation in this much detail before. Now that we're getting closer to the finished version of its sequel, Destiny of the Sands, I have found myself reflecting often about the process of bringing Secret of the Sands to life. I wanted to share with you a bit more of what that journey was like, and reveal for the first time, just how long it took to get to the finished version, and how much work really went into it. As I've said many times before, I am immensely proud of the story. Writing it was one of the most fun and meaningful things I've done in my life. I dedicated myself fully to its creation and to supporting it thereafter. I hope this post gives you greater insight into Secret of the Sands…

As I've mentioned before, the story idea itself came from a program on the Discovery Channel, where archaeologists were debating the actual age of the Sphinx and discussing how it could be many thousands of years older than the history texts state. We had already decided to write an epic story, and once I saw that - boom! - I knew we had our story. My co-author & I had both been fascinated by ancient Egypt our whole lives, so writing about it was so natural, so welcome, so fun, it was irresistible!

The finished story was actually over 200,000 words in length - yeah, that's an extra almost 100,000 words (more than enough for another novel & then some!), than the finished version, which clocked in at about 114,000 words. Crazy big! Secret of the Sands is still a bit on the long side as far as novels go. I will confess to being the culprit of that - I can write & write & write…not all of it "keepers" of course, not by a loooong shot! Volume has never been a problem for me, in anything written. Makes for a lot (& I mean A LOT!) of extra editing, lol! I inadvertently created a lot of extra work for us - oi!, but then, we always have a lot of stuff to choose from, so there are pros and cons. Who knows, maybe one day we'll release the "director's cut" - an extended version of the story, showing much more of what happened between the scenes than remained in the final story. Everything is still there, who knows where the extras may pop up… ;)

More than that? It took us around six years to write (we were doing it part-time, on weekends, and at first, we'd only meet every few weeks). More than that? There is a companion document that contained our research on numerous aspects of the story, story notes/author commentary, character background information, story background, timelines, detailed chapter outlines/story arcs, alternate endings, deleted scenes, prequel sections, detailed descriptions of the religion & of the ancient society, of weapons, mythology, etc. That document itself is alone 153,000 words long - oh yeah, we put our work into it!

A little side note on Rai - I'm a perfectionist, and a little OCD, so I will keep writing & writing & writing, trying to perfect the story, then afterwards, when it comes to editing, I edit & edit & edit before and after it goes to other people to edit. (I had to stop myself from writing a mini-book & taking weeks just for this blog post! I'm terrible!)

So, Secret of the Sands is an archaeology adventure, a historical fantasy tale, but there's a lot more to it than meets the eye… :)

I hope you've found this interesting, every writer's journey is different, and personal, and unique. This is where we started. This is how it happened. Now we are in the process of finalizing the sequel, Destiny of the Sands, which was started a few years ago. Are we slow? Yup! Is that good? Nope. Do I intend to speed things up from here on in? Yup! But, having said that, I am still going to ensure the absolute best version of the sequel goes out to our readers. I've also got three more solo novels feeling terribly neglected that are going to want attention again soon. As soon as Destiny is up & running, I'll be focusing on them. Rest assured though, before anything is released, an incredible amount of effort goes into it. I love what I do and care deeply about our readers - I want to give you the best possible experience for what we are offering, so that when you choose to spend some time with these books, it will be time well spent…

I wanted to write this to give our readers more insight into how this all came to be. Your interest has meant so much to me. As we get closer to the release date for the sequel, I will begin a newsletter to keep everyone posted on ETAs, etc. If you've written in to us, you will automatically be included in the distribution list. I will share more insights & experiences, too, as we go. I may add to this post eventually as well, with future posts, on the creation of these stories, as well as more about the meaning behind them.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I wanted to share (albeit a little late, been terribly swamped lately!) my guest post on Tony Eldridge's blog, Book Marketing Strategies and Tips for Authors. Tony is a great guy, very smart, and a super-talented author (check out The Samson Effect!) to boot, so I was honored to be asked to be a guest poster there.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

I just added Secret of the Sands to the Read an E-book Week promotions on Smashwords, starting today & running for one week. It's 26% off - it's easy-breezy, just download the coupon provided on this link:

Secret of the Sands is available in multiple eBook formats on Smashwords. I'd be honored if you'd add it to your eReader :)

It's so exciting to see eBooks taking off, it's a great sign that people are reading more books more often - always a good thing!

Please pass the word on to readers you think would enjoy the story.

Cheers & happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS

For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...

"The authors have successfully woven a story based on archeological events mixed with their own ideas of what happened to the Sphinx and the mysteries surrounding it."- www.sabrinareviews.com

"Rai Aren & Tavius E. write a spellbinding mix of mystery, history, fantasy, and adventure in this tale of two histories - one told in the present, the other told from the past - telling a story of misused power, learning how to trust, and the fate of civilization."- www.TeensReadToo.com

For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, two archaeologists discover mysterious artifacts belonging to an unknown civilization. A frightening and awe-inspiring story unravels as the archaeologists race against time to decipher the dangerous knowledge they hold…

Sunday, February 20, 2011

While I am here sharing my latest fave reads, I wanted to share our cool news, too - SECRET OF THE SANDS, our award-winning mystery novel, has been on several Kindle Bestseller lists for many weeks now. Thank-you SO MUCH to our readers & fans!! You mean everything to us :)

Here is a screen shot of our Amazon.com standings (link included below):

I was inspired by The Secret, and when I saw The Power, my curiosity was immediately piqued. The cover was so lovely, the description was captivating, so I gifted myself this book. Although at first the teachings of this book may seem simplistic, they are actually quite profound. The knowledge and wisdom imparted through its pages have changed my life for the better. I put the recommendations to work in my daily life and experienced immediate, ongoing positive results and changes. It is something I will forever be grateful for. I will continue to use The Power in my own life, for the rest of my life. I am a more positive & happy person because of it.

Not only is this a deeply meaningful book, but it is nothing short of a work of art. The design and illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. Aesthetically, it is such a pleasure to read through, and the imagery serves to drive home its points. The Power is a book that I will give to my friends and family for special occasions, and whenever I notice someone in my life in need of its teachings.

I rarely read a book twice, but The Power is a book I will refer to again and again throughout the rest of my life. It is that good, that meaningful. I wish everyone would read it and embrace what it teaches. The world would be a much happier, kinder place. I am uplifted by having read it and enjoy the benefits regularly. Bring some positive energy into your own life, change your relationships and circumstances for the better by reading The Power and putting its teachings into practice. A new you and a new world awaits...

I am finally catching up on writing my book reviews (which I do whenever I read something I love & find worth sharing), so here is one of my latest:

My review:

Deep Storm - 5-stars

Unputdownable thriller!

Deep Storm is one of the best thrillers I've ever read. It has flawless pacing, an incredibly interesting story, an excellent sense of place, non-stop action, and just the right amount of character development. It has a tantalizing touch of the paranormal, a mysterious historical event that keeps surprising and unfolding, along with a great setting. The setting of an offshore oil rig and deepsea lab offers an intimacy of place, exotic to the everyday person, that envelops the reader. It should come with a warning that says "Contents Under Pressure" - you feel the deadly pressure of the ocean you are taken deep into, along with ever-mounting action and the relentless unveiling of fascinating mystery after mystery. The story stays tight to the protagonist's point of view, so you feel you are walking the halls, seeing and experiencing everything right along with him. There were many times where I felt like I was looking characters in the eye and feeling the mounting tension all around. Action and reactions were always believable. You are never separated from the central action and purpose of the story. I was riveted.

I've read a lot of thrillers and after reading Deep Storm I came to better appreciate the solid pacing that keeps the reader turning pages, balanced with just the right amount of description of environment and action so that you can picture and imagine everything, but not get bogged down in endless showy descriptions that sometimes can seem like author showmanship and slow the story down. This never happens here, though it is superbly researched. Deep Storm is just excellent storytelling, with a perfect blend of action and intrigue. The only thing I could say might have been improved upon was that I wish the explanation at the end could have been developed a little further. There's so much build up to it, it's such a cool concept, that I would have liked to stay with it just a little longer and explore it a bit more. Having said that, it is sufficient and I can understand why it was done the way it was.

I honestly could not put this book down, the story grabs you from page one and never lets go. It's a 5-star read all the way. Every day I looked so forward to diving back into the story and eagerly did so. I think this is the fastest I've read any book. Lincoln Child has the gift for penning thrillers, no doubt. Highly recommended!

For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...

"The authors have successfully woven a story based on archeological events mixed with their own ideas of what happened to the Sphinx and the mysteries surrounding it."
- www.sabrinareviews.com

Sunday, January 2, 2011

I wanted to share the latest awesome review of our award-winning mystery novel, SECRET OF THE SANDS:

5-stars: "AN IMPRESSIVE EPIC STORY OF ENDURING APPEAL ACROSS GENERATIONS!"

Mitch and Alex find a mysterious box, while working on a dig near the statue of the Great Sphinx in Egypt, and uncover artifacts that could possibly be the biggest discovery in archaeological history. How could these artifacts exist, and will a mystery be solved, or is there a plan to destroy another society? The students continue their mission with assistance from Bob and Jack to research the significant findings, but do not share any information with the Professor. Did the Professor intend to ruin the lives of Mitch and Alex, so that he could take all the credit? Could the Professor be trusted, and was he jealous? What secret is hidden in the desert sands as the characters come to life, along with ancient civilization? I highly recommend this spellbinding adventure that spotlights archaeological theories as it takes the reader on a thrill ride, to all lovers of the ancient world who enjoy mystery and suspense with a blend of humor and romance. The interesting characters, along with a fascinating plot capture the reader's attention from beginning to end, while fueling the imagination as you crave for more with a burning desire for the next episode. Rai Aren and Tavius E. takes the reader back twelve-thousand years to the origins of the artifacts through ancient history and excitement as they create one of the Greatest stories ever told! The two authors become Master storytellers through detailed research and fantasy with an incredible imagination in an adventure made for the movie screen. A painting is made with metaphysical and mystical happenings, and the portrait is colored with past and present archaeology of Egypt. The mesmerizing story is clear and concise with all of Egypt's glory, leaving the reader in pure contentment. What kind of power was found in this relic? How old is the Great Sphinx as mysteries blow through the desert wind? How many years do we go back to meet the royal family of King Traeus? Who were the builders of the pyramids? When did deceit and adultery exist? What did the book from a cylinder found by Alex and Mitch symbolize? What did the dreams that Alex had represent? How old are the scrolls, and what language are they written in? "SECRET OF THE SANDS" is as intelligent as CLEOPATRA, as entertaining as STARGATE and as captivating as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, with Charlton Heston, and Yul Brynner. - Geri Ahearn

You can find our trade paperback edition at the new lower price of $14.95 (was $17.95) here:

And our brand new Second Edition kindle ON SALE for only $2.99:

Happy reading always!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS
For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...

"The authors have successfully woven a story based on archeological events mixed with their own ideas of what happened to the Sphinx and the mysteries surrounding it."- www.sabrinareviews.com

"Rai Aren & Tavius E. write a spellbinding mix of mystery, history, fantasy, and adventure in this tale of two histories - one told in the present, the other told from the past - telling a story of misused power, learning how to trust, and the fate of civilization." -www.TeensReadToo.com

About Rai

Rai Aren is the co-author of the bestselling mystery novels, Secret of the Sands, Destiny of the Sands & the author of Revelation of the Sands. This archaeology adventure trilogy explores the mysterious origins of Ancient Egypt & the Great Sphinx of Giza, uncovering long-buried truths & a powerful secret that is as dangerous as it is awe-inspiring…
Rai is also the author of the short novel Lost City of GoldSecret of the Sands kindle edition - only $2.99!Destiny of the SandsRevelation of the SandsFor 12,000 years a dark & deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...The SECRET OF THE SANDS trilogy is a little bit like mixing INDIANA JONES + THE MUMMY + NATIONAL TREASURE